SHAPING HOUSTON: MANABU HORIUCHI

Horiuchi’s first job in the United States was working at the Japanese Consulate in Houston. At first, he did not speak any English but still recognized the kindness of everyone he met in his new city.

Horiuchi later worked for a Japanese restaurant for eight years before deciding to open his own restaurant, Kata Robata. On the opening night of his restaurant, he did not have a single customer until after 7 p.m.

Now, his restaurant is thriving and crowded on any given night. Horiuchi enjoys the freedom he has in Houston to experiment with different combinations of food in order to create innovative dishes. Because of his creativity and skillful cooking, Horiuchi was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award for Excellence.

At Cadillac, we celebrate those whose passion and vision have reshaped our city, our lives and our culture - including Manabu Horiuchi’s dedicated work to Japanese cuisine.

His continuous passion makes him one of the innovative and driving persons shaping Houston.